Enders opens for Open Mic
Davide Torgesen and cousin Amber Torgesen at Open Mic night at Enders.
Last week, the Enders Hotel was opened to the public for the first of what is planned as a recurring Open Mic night. The night was the brainchild of Soda Rec Department Assistant Director Amber Torgesen, who was joined by her cousin David Torgesen and a group of music and poetry fans for the inaugural evening.
“I wanted to start the evening off with something I wrote, to set the intention,” Amber said, kicking off the evening. “We drink from the well/ we honor the gods/ we bring an undefeated heart to our meeting place/ we will not negotiate by withholding/ we have no cherished outcome/ and we are not subject to disappointment.”
Emma
As a mission statement for the night, it worked well. The Enders hotel lobby, which is where the Open Mic will be held going forward, is a perfect venue for creative presentations. A mix of the comfortable, possibly haunted, and somehow out of the normal time and place of the rest of existence permeates the iconic building. The lobby specifically has a heavy sense of lives lived just out of sight and memory—intimidating, but ultimately warm and inviting.
As the evening proceeded, the sign up list (David, Amber, Ainsley, Gary, Jessica, Charlotte, Emma) expanded to include the “well, now I want to go too” (Brad, Wes), and the “almost-but-not-quite-ready-yet” (who will remain anonymous).
Amber Torgesen and David Torgesen served as both emcees, as well as roadies, tech support, and peer-encouragers throughout the evening. As the two recounted some of what led them to be interested in putting on an open mic night, it was clear that the core themes were resonant with the audience. There are some things you have to express. There is a comfort in being around others who want to hear what you have to say, or words or in music. While it can be scary, the feeling of conquering that fear and speaking your peace is unmatched.
A mix of storytelling, poetry, and music of many kinds filled the evening, from solo vocals to piano to western love dirge. Humor, seriousness, and just straight-up expression coexisted in harmony.
The quiet moments where it was unclear whether anyone else wanted to go were comfortable rather than anxious, which is rare, but like the evening itself, a wonderful experience.
The next Open Mic is scheduled for January 22, and plans are to continue holding them at 7:00 on the same 2nd and 4th Thursday schedule. While the crowd size fluctuated throughout the evening, the space can comfortably seat dozens, and the more the merrier, really. See you at Enders next time!
